Battlefield 4 will come to Xbox 360 on October 29, 2013 with a mandatory 2GB installation, according to Electronic Arts’ latest support update for the game (via VG 24/7). That’s just the bare minimum, however. The game spreads across two discs, one for multiplayer and one for the single-player campaign, much like Battlefield 3 did before it. EA’s update adds that there’s an additional 6.6GB worth of optional installation on the multiplayer disc and an addition 5.8GB on the single player disc, and it is “highly recommend[ed]” that players install both.
That’s 14.4GB in total, for those not keeping a tally at home.
Mandatory installation on Microsoft’s console used to be a no-no, owing to the fact that a version of the hardware was available with no built-in hard drive and only 4GB of flash storage. That stance has softened over the past eight years, most recently with Grand Theft Auto V coming with a required 8GB installation. Battlefield 3 shipped in 2012 with an optional texture pack installation that significantly improved the quality of the game’s visuals. The install recommendations for BF4 likely stem from the same place.
Of course, installed or not, Battlefield 4 on Xbox 360 (and PlayStation 3, for that matter) is going to be a lesser experience in comparison to the PC and PlayStation 4/Xbox One versions. Smaller multiplayer maps, lower lobby caps, reduced graphical fidelity. Surprise! We’re at the end of a gaming hardware generation. Current consoles are going to have a tougher and tougher time keeping up as time goes on.
